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Since coming to Woods Hole, I’ve been surprised again and again at how busy this small town can be. You really never know what opportunities might turn up each week.

Last night I was lucky enough to attend a ceremony held by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary awarding singer/songwriter Graham Nash of Crosby Stills Nash and Young with the Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Award.

Mr. Nash, who is well known for his work with CSNY as well as The Hollies is a true renaissance man. He is also photographer, artist and strong advocate of the environment. After a brief explanation of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Nash was asked to give his thoughts on current environmental issues we are facing today.

Nash stressed how important it is that we leave a better world for our children, and that we work together to do all that we can. He quoted Willie Nelson, who recalled that things were better when, “you looked around and if there’s anything wrong here, there, anywhere, you took care of your own area. And I think that’s a pretty good thing to go by. If everyone just takes care of their own area then we won’t have any problems. Be here. Be present. Wherever you are, be there. And look around you and see what needs to be changed.”

After this hopeful discussion Nash was given his award and preceded to play a few favorite tunes. In the spirit of marine conservation he played “Wind on the Water,” for the first time ever on acoustic guitar, which he wrote after an encounter with a blue whale while on a sailing trip. The ceremony ended with Nash playing “Teach Your Children” and the audience couldn’t help but to sing along.

Having grown up listening to CSNY, it was amazing to meet Graham Nash, right here in Woods Hole!

(CSN is currently on a 70-plus date world tour, and they just released their first live performance in over two decades titled, CSN 2012).

Fifteen writers gathered in Woods Hole last weekend (Feb 4-6, 2011) for a symposium on writing for television lead by P.K. Simonds (“Ghost Whisperer” and “Party of Five”) and Laurie McCarthy (“CSI,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “Windfall.”) The group gathered Friday night at the Woods Hole Inn for wine and cheese, introductions and ice breaking as the sun set over Woods Hole’s Great Harbor.

The next morning, the writers gathered in the Quicks Hole restaurant while Laurie and P.K. presented their take on the current TV business, everything from the recent writers strike, to the pressures of show-running, to how to handle network notes. The information-packed morning and afternoon sessions were broken up by a break for lunch. In the evening, most of the crew headed to the Captain Kidd for “Dinner and a Movie” led by Judy Laster of the Woods Hole Film Festival.

The series, a joint partnership of the Woods Hole Film Festival and the Woods Hole Inn, continued on Sunday with a final session focusing on how to break into the business. With plenty of time for Q&A from the experienced writers, most of the participants spoke of feeling jazzed about the process, and said they were energized to go home and keep writing. See their actual comments here.

Enjoy the photo essay of a weekend of good conversations, insightful questions and continuing learning about the nexus of art and commerce in the loveliest little village on Cape Cod:

The holidays are here and we celebrated today with an open house! Sara and Steph cooked all yesterday, making little phylo dough pastries piped with fresh apple, smoked salmon with red onion capers and dill on little pumpernickel toasts, mini turkey tea sandwiches with real stuffing and cranberry sauce and my favorite, fresh jumbo shrimp perfectly steamed with lemon and bay leaf for dipping into two delectable sauces.

We were joined by friends of the Chamber of Commerce, many of the local B&B owners, all the local Woods Hole business people as well as new friends and neighbors. Our tree is huge and gorgeous this year — ready for our guests to enjoy through the holidays.

Our 2010 Christmas tree at the Woods Hole Inn.

There were lovely little desserts like petit fours and peanut butter kiss cookies, and our guests seemed to have fun mingling, listening to Christmas Carols and even swigging some egg nog at noon.

Turkey Tea Sandwiches were a hit at the party.

Peanut butter with dark chocolate Hersey kisses…yum!

And here are some of the nice people who joined us. It really was a great time and I hope you will join us when we do it again next year!

I’ve had the great opportunity to live like a genuine Cape Codder: on the water. The nights are always cool and comfortable out on the back porch and the mornings start right at 6:45 thanks to the friendly folks at the Steamship Authority. What to do when you’ve got no TV, no Internet and the world literally as your oyster? Go explore, of course!

My two favorite things in the entire world are taking photographs and swimming at Stoney Beach. Beginning a day with both truly improves my mood and productivity while I’m running around the restaurant and attending to guests at the inn. There’s just something about finding a vacant beach and knowing you’re the first of the masses to take a dip in the Atlantic’s chilly yet comforting waters.

Woods Hole gets crammed with tourists in summer but if you venture past Water Street, the village is home to a hardy population of under a thousand. Traffic builds rarely during the day (except when the drawbridge goes up for a visiting sailor), and the quiet lanes and hedgerows are punctuated by crickets, birds and the occasional screech of a child at play.

Once the day is in full swing, the village can get hectic with all of the foot traffic — people dragging their rolling bags and fighting for a spot in line at one of the two local coffee shops. Sometimes it feels almost like an airport with all the hustle bustle.

A morning along Eel Pond.

That’s what makes the quiet mornings so precious to me. Woods Hole reminds me of the unique treasures found only in a slow-paced life.

I’m pretty fond of chugging along in my dated 12 MPG Suburban back in Texas, but after being hired by an eco-friendly inn and restaurant, I figured I’d trade in my tank for a bike or a better pair or tennis shoes. I was so thrilled to explore the nooks and crannies of the village during my first few days, but then I realized I needed groceries! And shampoo! And toilet paper!

Quicks Hole has the only market in town providing fresh produce, milk, eggs and specialty cheeses. But Falmouth, just three miles up the lush Woods Hole Road, has an adorable Main street stuffed with tee shirt and souvenir boutiques, ice cream and candy shops and three supermarkets.

WHOOSH Trolley takes visitors on up to Falmouth for shopping and good eats.

The open-air trolley only costs $2 and leaves every half hour from the Steamship Authority just down the street from the inn. Strike up a conversation with the drivers, the owner of the red trolley car has the most character, and maybe he’ll let you toot the horn.

I’d trade my Suburban for a worn pair of tennis shoes and the trolley anyday.

I was so thrilled to catch this glimpse of the bride perparing at Woods Hole Inn.

There’s no better way to spend a bridal weekend than at The Woods Hole Inn! Last weekend we had brides galore preparing and honeymooning with us. It felt like a scene out of “Philadelphia Story” with boxes full of beautiful hydrangea and lilies bouquets delivered to our front desk.

Surrounded with smiling friends and family, several bottles of hairspray and two very busy makeup artists, the bride in Room 5 glowed as her mother whispered “Good luck.” We were lucky to get a few snapshots while she was getting ready. I loved the peek-a-boo through one of our vintage screens.

We also had a honeymooning couple who celebrated all evening and collapsed here for their first night as Mr. and Mrs. They enjoyed Sara’s French toast bread pudding, strawberries, blueberries and several cups of strong coffee in the morning. Good luck and come back next year!

What a fun weekend to have celebrating guests occupying almost every room. We love hosting wedding parties here at the inn and cannot wait for our next batch of brides to roll in! (…Like tomorrow!)

Just like producing a movie, at the Woods Hole Inn we are crafting great vacations, one customer at a time. Every movie begins with a great script and the Woods Hole Inn is no different — our script calls for us to make you feel pampered and welcome the minute you walk in the door.

I started my career in Hollywood, managing a group of actors and producing a few movies. I don’t want to make my career sound too glamorous because it wasn’t — thousands of people like me toil behind the scenes as part of the grist that turns the Hollywood mill. But I did learn a thing or two about star treatment that I use everyday in running the Woods Hole Inn.

I like to welcome guests the way I would welcome the star of my film onto set the first day — smiles, warmth and plenty of free bottled water. I like to clean the rooms imagining that Oprah and her entourage might walk in later tonight. I like to train staff to show off their knowledge of the local scene as if they were job interviewing for locations manager on “Jaws.” I hope breakfast comes out feeling “Like Water for Chocolate” and your pillow top reminds you of James Bond.

These are hard things to achieve and we don’t always get there. Has there been a bad day when the electrician made a mess right before check-in, the phone rang too many times to answer and a guest waited at the front desk feeling more like Rita Wilson than Tom Hanks? Yes. Now you know why Bruce Willis throws temper tantrums in his trailer when the coffee is cold — even on a movie set with a staff of hundreds, mistakes happen. So we apologize and try again. Most of our customers are much, much more amenable than Bruce (visit the inn and I’ll share a few hair curlers for you).

In any case, nothing makes us happier than getting it right and I want to quote an email we received last night, because I think we succeeded in making this couple feel like Brangelina:

“My wife and I just finished a three day stay at the Inn and I can’t stop talking about it to anyone who will listen. From the second we walked through the door at 28 Water Street the warmth we were greeted by, yourself and the Inn, captured our hearts forever. I cannot say enough about the cleanliness of the room and the efficiency of the staff.

We have stayed in Woods Hole before, but by far the location of the Inn is far more noteworthy than any other places we have stayed. We found it a complete luxury to drop our car off with the valet and not have to think about getting around for the rest of our stay. The area restaurants and attractions all within walking distances on the scenic main strip of Woods Hole, as well as Quicks Hole located in the same building. Talk about convenience. Not to mention the activities you planned and executed for us (ferry tickets waiting for us, wine chilled in our room, walking tour of Woods Hole, massages at Bellezza Day Spa) all completely flawless in their delivery. The things you said were going to be done, were done.

How can I write our happiness with the Inn with out mentioning Sara the Breakfast Queen. I can’t express to you enough what a pleasure it was to wake up at our leisure, walk down the hall, open the breakfast room door to find the smell of freshly brewed coffee, homemade breakfast treats, and Sara’s smiling face. To say the breakfast she prepared for us each morning was delicious would be an insult. The word just doesn’t do enough credit to her skill. We especially liked the Linguiça and Asparagus bread pudding. I can still taste its’ warm flavorful goodness.

We have spent the last few days figuring out excuses for us to return to the Inn and believe us it’s not hard, if we could come every weekend we would! Again, Thank You for all of the wonderful memories we were able to take with us in celebrating our 5th year of marriage. We hope to see you soon!” — guest from Worcester, Mass.

I feel like Sally Field’s did in her famous Oscar speech — “You like me, you really like me!” We live for this kind of feedback, and I am grateful to my tremendous staff for another star turn.

I took a walk in Spohr Gardens the other day. It was so quiet in the woods, with these cool old millstones lining the path that leads down to the pond. Along the pond there is a spot to launch a canoe or kayak, and a collection of huge old metal objets like anchors and enormous chains. I sat by the water for a few minutes, ripples of the dominant southwesterly breeze fluttering over the protected pond. How rare the opportunity for quiet contemplation in our busy world!

This amazing resource was given to the public by Martha and Charles Spohr whose main stipulation was that their six-acre property on Oyster Pond be open daily. Volunteers keep it well-planted and beautifully maintained. I’m told the daffodil display in spring is particularly impressive, but they were not up yet for my meditation.

Cape Cod needs more Spohrs, generous souls willing to give away a valuable piece of property despite it’s potential for residential development. Pockets of open land like this one are a prized part of the fabric of life in Falmouth. What an incredible resource, both for visitors like me but also for all the frogs, geese, swans, osprey — the flora and fauna of the Cape perpetually squeezed into smaller open spaces.

If you come to Woods Hole, don’t leave without a jaunt into the Spohr Gardens. This temple of nature will refresh and revitalize you — not just with it’s beauty, but also with the spirit of it’s inspired donors. Thank you, Charles and Martha, for my own mindful meditation on your land the other day. Your gift inspires me. And I’m quite sure I am not alone.